Process of and apparatus for extracting oil from oil-bearing strata



Oct. 7 1924.

W. L. RUSSELL PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM OIL BEARING STRATA Filed Oct. 14, 1922 Patented Oct. 7, 1924. l

A UNITED -STATES 125113,67 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM Low RUSSELL, or NEW nam, commcnco'. I

PmOEBS OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM OIL-BEARING STBLEIA.r

Application led Uctober 14, 1922. Serial 10.594,42?.

To all 'whom t may concem:

Be itknown that I WILLIAM Low RussnLL a citizen of the nited States, residing at New Haven, in the county of VNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of and Apparatus for Extracting Oil from Oil-BearingStrata; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute lields in which the natural production, or

'claims pressure flow, has ceased; from such fields after they have been subjected to flooding; and from oil fields which have been invaded with salt water. y

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a process of subjecting oil-bearing strata, whatever their character, to the infiltration under pressure of a liquid carrying a gas, producing bubbles, which by 'reason of their capillary attraction for the oil, detarh the same from the oil-bearing materia My invention further consists in an apparatus havin certain details as will be further descri d and pointed out inA the subjected to the infiltration of a gas-bearing liquid under pressure.

As herein shown, I employ a water feedpipe 5 centrally located the bore 6, the

upper portion of which is provided with the usual casing 7. As shown the upper end of the said pipe is provided with an indicating cup 8, which, however, will be omitted in case the weight of the column of water in the pipe is not suiiicient to force it through the oil-bearing strata and artificial pressure must be supplied by a pump or equivalent means. The lower end of the said pipe is furnished with a cone 9,l positioned in the bore 6 at a point just above the horizontal oil-bearing stratum l0, which may be oil-bearing sand, gravel, broken shale, or any other material bearing oil. The said cone .is sealed in the lower end of the bore by means of a body 11 of concrete or cement introduced through the top of the bore, after the cone has been positioned therein directly over the oil-bearing stratum l0, whereby the water introduced through the pipe 5 into the bore, upon the oil-bearing.

stratum 10, is prevented from rising in the bore and forced to find another way out by infiltration through the oil-bearin ystratum to a neighboring well or other out? t. I also introduce into the bore 6 a gas feed-pipe 12 enough longer than the water feed-pipe 5 to extend downward through and below the stratum 10, and through a cup-shaped, perforated gas-distributor 13, positioned in that portion of the bore 6 carried downward through the oil-bearing stratum 10.

F or the protection of the gas-distributor 13, I preferably employ a cup'14 located within the cone 9 and carried by an arm l5 secured thereto, this cup being intended to catch any sediment which may find its way downward through the water feedipe 6, and which, if not intercepted, mig t clog the perforations in the distributor.

In carrying on my process, water is supplied to the pipe 6 and air, or some other suitable gas, to the tube 12` .The gas must be supplied to the tube 12 at a suflicient pressure to force it into the l,bore 5 to a'point below the distributor 13 and', therefore, under a pressure suicient to overcome the water pressure, whatever that may be in .an given situation. A portion of the air w1 from the bore 6 in the direction of someneighbo well or outlet the pressure upon it will grniliunly diminis and the absorbed air will reappear in it in the form of bubbles 16 (Fig. 2), for `which the thm films 17 of oil on the grains 18 of sand will have greater capilla attraction than the grains of sand themse ves. The oil thus detached from the grains 18 reforms itself as films upon the bubbles 16, and will be carried along by them in the current of water flowing to a neighboring well or outlet.

In this manner, a paying percentage of the residual oil in non-flowin wells may' be recovered. Even after suc non-flowing wells have been flooded with water for the recovery of the residual oil, my process may be effectively used for` the recovery of the oil still remaining in the oil-bearing sand. When such non-flowing wells are flooded for the removal of oil remaining in them, the tendency of the water is to flow or percolate through the looser portions of the stratum, the more impervious portions thereof not being penetrated. However, under my process, the air bubbles will tendto block the interstices in the pervious stratum with the effect of forcing the water through the more impervious portions thereof. My improved process may also be applied to advantage to extracting oil from oil-bearing wells which have been fiooded with salt water.

I Wish it clearly understood that I do not limit myself to the particular means herein shown and described for carrying on my process, my invention broadly comprehending the subjection of oil-bearing strata, of whatever description, to the searching action of a gas-bearing current of liquid under pressure. On account of its availability, water will be employed as the liquid, but, under some circumstances, other gas than air may be found more efiicacious, such as carbon dioxide. I also conceive that the gas, whatever its character, might be dissolved in the liquid prior to the introduction of either into the earth. i

l In case the pressure secured by the column of water in the pipe 5 in any given situation provides sufficient water-pressure or head course, be replaced by a packer of the d i commonly used in oil-well installations.

I claim:

1. A process of extracting residual oil from oil-bearing strata consisting in Subj e'cting the same to the searching action of a liuid under pressure containing a dissolved su stance appearing as bubbles of gas as the pressure is relieved from the liquid whereby the oil is extracted from the oilbearing strata by the reciprocal attraction between the bubbles and the oil, causing the latter to become attached in the form of a film to the exterior surface of the bubbles.

2. An apparatus for extracting residual oil from oil-bearing strata, comprising a water feed-pipe, a seal near the lower end thereof, a gas feed-pipe, and a gas-distributor located below the seal at the lower end of the water pipe, and having the gas pipe carried downward through it.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnees.

WILLIAM LOW RUSSELL.

Wtnessesf I GEORGE DUDLEY SEYMOUR, M. E. HUNTINGTON. 

